Miriam Angeline Huff

Feb. 26, 1911 - May 25, 2006

Feb. 26, 1911 - May 25, 2006

June 01, 2006

Miriam Angeline (Mumma) Huff, 95, of 723 North Wenger Avenue, Mishawaka, Indiana, died Thursday, May 25, 2006, in the home of her daughter in Westminster, Colorado.

Miriam was born in Leesburg, Ohio, the youngest of three children of Fannie Sanders Mumma and Perry Oscar Mumma. Her older sister, Anne Mumma, and brother, Charles Mumma, were born in Arizona before it became a state. They both predeceased her.

After moving to Leesburg, Ohio, her father served as the town mayor in 1912 and developed a nursery business. Many of Miriam's most vivid childhood memories were of working in the family greenhouse and selling flowers and vegetables. She was an excellent pianist, often performing with her brother, who played brass instruments. As a teenager she played the background music for silent movies.

Miriam was valedictorian of her high school class in 1929, then attended secretarial school and worked in Columbus, Ohio. Afterwards, she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and worked at Motorists' Mutual insurance agency. On July 24, 1934, Miriam married Curtis Elton Huff, her childhood friend since age three. After their wedding, she accompanied Elton to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where Elton attended Antioch College and she worked as an administrative assistant.

Advertisement

Miriam and Elton moved to Mishawaka, Indiana, in 1939, where Elton was employed as a research chemist at Ball Band. They soon became members of the First Presbyterian Church, which remains today a bulwark of friendship and spiritual support in their lives. Miriam worked for the Mishawaka Public Library from 1958 to 1977, during which time she returned to school and received a degree in library science when she was in her fifties.

Miriam was a lifelong member of Eastern Star and received recognition in 2005 for her 75 years of membership. Miriam also served as a Bible Study Fellowship leader for many years. In her eighties, Miriam worked one day a week at a kindergarten in Osceola to help with reading instruction.

A memorial service for Miriam will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Mishawaka, Indiana, in August 2006, followed by a graveside ceremony at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Leesburg, Ohio, at a later date.

Memorial gifts in her name may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, Mishawaka, Indiana.